Best of Me
by xxLittle Black Dressxx
Summary: "We never grew out of this feeling that we won't give up." Alex and Addison are looking to change their lives; can they be each other's fresh starts?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Set after the Grey's season 7 finale and the PP season 4 finale; **_spoilers included._ **However, on the PP front, this story ignores the latest Pete and Amelia storylines.

I do not own Grey's Anatomy.

**_Best of Me_**

**Chapter 1: _What the Hell?_**

"You'll _try_ to love me?" "_Try_?" Addison asked in astonishment. She quickly sat up in her bed, where she had been lying with Sam, and stared at him in disbelief.

Sam sighed, "You know that having more children was never part of my plan. I already have Maya – come on, Addison, I have a grandchild, for crying out loud! But, yes, because I am a nice guy, I will _try_ to love you and your child, should you chose to adopt or use a sperm donor or whatever. That's a lot to ask, you know, but I will try."

"There you go again with the try! Derek _tried_ to love me when we were together in Seattle and it didn't work. In fact, I've never felt more unloved than when he _tried_ to love me." Addison ran her hand through her hair in frustration, "Look, Sam, no matter how you slice it, _trying _to love someone doesn't work, and I sure as hell am not going to subject any child of mine to that type of quote-unquote love. And you know what, I don't think I deserve it either."

"So what are you saying, Addison?" Sam asked, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice.

Addison exhaled noisily, "I'm saying that getting back together would be a mistake. We still want different things, and we need to stop pretending that it's just going to go away. You know, maybe it's time for us to act like responsible adults, _for once_, and realize that, as a couple, we have an expiration date – and we are so far past expired! I mean, seriously, thank goodness we're not some type of food, like bread... we'd be all moldy and disgusting," Addison rambled. "Oh, or milk. Could you imagine? If we were milk, we'd be all…"

"Addison," Sam interrupted. "Could we not talk about expired food?"

"Right, sorry." "Sam," Addison continued more calmly, "What I'm saying is, we want different things, and neither of us is willing to sacrifice the things that we want for each other, so it looks like we're at an impasse." Then mustering up her courage, she said softly, "Sam, I think you should go."

"Well, if you think it's best," Sam replied stiffly.

Addison sighed – did he ever show emotion? True, they had only "gotten back together" an hour ago, so this breakup technically wasn't as huge as their last one, but still, no change in emotion whatsoever. Seriously? Come to think of it, since they had gotten together, Sam hardly ever showed emotion. He didn't seem particularly effected at the hospital on the night of Charlotte's rape, he didn't have much of a reaction when Addison thought that she might be pregnant with his child, even though he had made it very clear that he did not want to be a father again. In fact, now that she thought about it, he hardly showed emotion when they broke up the first time. It was always this cold, calm, calculated look – it was actually kind of creepy. Now Alex Karev, he showed emotion. There was more emotion in just one of his gorgeous chocolate eyes than there was in Sam's entire body, but that wasn't her point...her point was…

"Addison?" Sam questioned.

Shit, Addison thought to herself. Pushing her thoughts about Alex Karev, his emotions, and his beautiful eyes out of her head, she met Sam's eye.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"I don't know," Addison mumbled. Finally, she conceded, "I guess that would be best. You can let yourself out?"

"Sure," Sam answered calmly, making his way off her bed, grabbing his shirt and heading for the door, as though nothing major had just happened.

Once she heard the door close, Addison decided she might as well start drinking. She knew she wouldn't be falling asleep anytime soon. "I could actually use a good cry," she mused but, with the exception of the past few months, she wasn't really a crier. Stupid proud tear ducts. So, she would have to settle for the next best thing – drinking. And lots of it.

Removing a bottle of vodka from the freezer and pouring herself a large glass, she debated changing into her drinking uniform – oversized sweats and a horrendous bucket hat, but changing would only delay her drinking, so she would drink in her silky negligee.

The first sip of vodka burned the back of her throat. What was she thinking dating Sam? He was her best friend's ex-husband – how much lower could she get? "Well, I did cheat on my husband with his best friend," she muttered to herself. "I'm not sure which is worse." Rather than play that game with herself (she knew there would be no winners), she focused on the project at hand – getting drunk, so gloriously drunk that she would forget about Sam, and their overly complicated relationship, which had once again made her a selfish, backstabbing bitch. Yes, she would get so drunk that she would forget about her failed marriage to Derek, her failed relationship with Mark, and Alex's humiliating rejection – "You're not my girlfriend." She never even asked to be his girlfriend. Seriously, who does that? Well apparently Meredith Grey did, if the rumors about a certain "Pick me, choose me, love me," speech were to be believed. But she, Addison Forbes Montgomery, did not do that. Sure, she saw the potential for a relationship down the line, but you would have to be blind not to. In addition to being undeniably attractive, Alex Karev was a decent guy, maybe even a good guy, maybe even…

What the hell are you doing, Addison, she chided herself. You are supposed to be mourning your relationship with Sam and, now, for the second time tonight, you are thinking about Alex Karev. You need to stop this. Now. Okay, two more minutes, she bargained with herself. Why was she even thinking about Karev anyway? It's not like they ever had anything. Liar! she scolded herself. Okay, fine, they may have shared several loaded looks, an almost kiss over an incubator, an actual kiss at Joe's, not to mention the "awesome," to use his word, on-call room sex. Still, it didn't make sense. She and Sam had sex, lots of sex. So, why, on the night of her breakup with Sam, did her mind insist on thinking about Alex Karev?

"Maybe it's because I never let myself get over him," she said aloud. She hadn't. Shortly after the "You're not my girlfriend" humiliation, she drove out to California with a new mission – to have a baby. When she learned that her chances of bearing children were slim to none, it was easy for her to redirect the pain she was feeling. And she found that she could further avoid confronting her feelings for Alex if she conflated the pain of not being able to have children with the chances that she missed to have a baby with Derek and Mark. In time, she became an expert at convincing herself that her only meaningful pre-L.A. relationships were her marriage to Derek and her short relationship with Mark. Alex Karev was nothing more than a fling – she never had any true feelings for him.

Addison glanced at the clock on the wall. Ten minutes had passed. "Damn it, Karev," she swore angrily. I was only supposed to devote two minutes to you. Clearly I am not drunk enough if I am still thinking about Alex. "And still able to read the clock," she muttered dryly. She began making her way to the freezer to pour herself another glass of vodka, when she heard the doorbell ring. She raised her eyebrow. Who the hell would stop by at this hour? Quickly, she composed a mental list of who could possibly be at her door. Sam – not likely. He was a master at avoiding difficult conversations and, after their difficult conversation a half-hour ago, he certainly wouldn't be coming back for more anytime soon. Pete and Violet – probably not. Charlotte and Cooper – definitely not. Amelia – that's got to be it. Derek's younger sister, Amelia, had been living in Addison's house for a while now. She must have forgotten to take her key when she went out tonight, Addison figured. Confident that it was Amelia at the door, Addison made no attempt to cover up her skimpy pajamas. Amelia wouldn't care.

As she opened the door, Addison cursed herself for not having the good sense to grab something to cover herself up with because, instead of opening the door to find Amelia, she found herself face to face with Alex Karev.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy & please review!

_**Best of Me**_

**Chapter 2: **_**Raise your Glass**_

"Hi," Alex said softly.

Addison just stood there with her eyes wide in shock. Okay, she thought to herself. This is obviously some type of drunken hallucination. She briefly closed her eyes, but when she opened them again, Alex – no, Karev – was still standing there, looking at her questioningly. Damn it!

"Uhh…is everything okay?" Alex asked, a mix of confusion and amusement playing on his features.

"Um…I…uhh" Addison stammered. Get a hold of yourself, Addison scolded herself. Just form words. It's not that hard.

"I can't be drunk," Addison finally blurted. "I mean, I've only had one vodka, and I can read the clock just fine." Smooth, very smooth, she congratulated herself wryly, shaking her head in disgust.

Alex raised an eyebrow and gave her his signature smirk, "Um, okay."

"What I meant to say," Addison recovered, "is what are you doing here, Karev?"

What was he doing here? Alex considered telling Addison about how he didn't get Chief Resident, how he destroyed his friendship with Meredith when he told the Chief about how she tampered with Shepherd's clinical trial, and how his relationship with Lucy had crashed and burned. In truth, he only really cared about the first two. As much as Meredith and Cristina were convinced that Lucy had been good for him – that, by dating her, he was finally getting over Izzie – they had no idea that it wasn't Izzie that he needed to get over. Nobody in Seattle realized that, by dating Lucy, Alex wasn't moving on at all. Lucy was an OB – a constant reminder of Addison. And even if the similarities between Addison and Lucy ended there because, who was he kidding, Lucy couldn't hold a candle to Addison in the O.R, and the feelings that had for Lucy would never even scratch the surface of the feelings that he used to have – okay, the feelings that he still had – for Addison, he figured that Lucy, or someone like her, would be as close as he would ever get being with Addison.

He had blown his chance with Addison a long time ago, a mistake that, to this day, he hated himself for. When he blew her off, he was convinced that he was doing her a favor, maybe even protecting her. Addison was looking for a good guy, she was looking for _the_ guy – the type of guy who barbeques and teaches little kids to play catch. That wasn't him. He had grown up with a drunk, abusive father and a sick mother – he had no idea how to be the type of guy she wanted. He didn't know if he was even capable of being that guy. So, he pushed her away, vowing not to hurt her the way that Shepherd and Sloan had. In the end, he still ended up hurting her but, what he hadn't counted on, was how badly she would end up hurting him when she moved down to California a few weeks later. Alex tried his best to get over her, reverting back to habits of his early intern days. His walls came back down, and he began sleeping his way through the hospital again. He married Izzie and, although he did love her, a part of him was relieved when their marriage failed. Alex did his best to get over Addison, but every time she returned to Seattle, he would realize that his feelings for her were still very much there and any progress that he had made in getting over her was all for nothing.

"Um, Karev? Addison asked. "Is everything okay?"

"What?" Alex asked, startled, still lost in his thoughts. "Oh, yeah, uh, sorry. Um, what were we talking about?"

"I asked you what you were doing here. Kind of a softball question, Karev."

"Right," Alex squirmed. "Um…I just needed to get away for a while. Clear my head, ya know?"

"Okay, but why California? Why _my_ house?"

Alex sighed uncomfortably as the reality of the situation hit him. He had just showed up at her house, unannounced, late at night. In what world was that cool?

"Look, Addison," he stammered. "I'm sorry, it's late. I, uh, I shouldn't have come here tonight. I'm just…I'm just gonna leave. It's just…"

"Alex," Addison said, cutting him off. "It's okay. And from the looks of it, you could really use a drink and, since I was planning on drinking myself into a coma tonight, I might as well have some company."

"I've got some tequila in the trailer," Alex offered.

"The trailer?" Addison asked wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Don't tell me you have a trailer too."

"Shepherd gave it to me," Alex answered innocently.

"Ughh. I hate that thing. Well, I have vodka in the house, and I'm already one glass in. Let's start with that, and see where the night takes us."

"Okay," Alex agreed stepping into Addison's well-decorated beach house. "Great place, by the way."

"Thanks. Vodka's in the freezer. Glasses are in the cupboard over the sink. Help yourself."

"Wait. Where are you going? I thought the plan was _not _to drink alone," Alex smirked, as Addison began to head upstairs.

"To change into something a little more appropriate, and a lot less revealing," Addison retorted matter-of-factly.

"The bucket hat?" Alex asked with mock fear.

"Shut up and pour the vodka, Karev. I expect to see a drink waiting for me when I return," Addison shot back, using the tone that she used to use with him when he was her incorrigible intern.

Alex smiled as he watched her retreat, and set to work pouring drinks for himself and Addison.

xxxxx

"Okay," Addison said, entering the kitchen, a few minutes later, wearing a Yale t-shirt and yoga pants. "Let's drink."

Alex took in her appearance. It had been common knowledge at Seattle Grace that Addison Montgomery looked incredible in her designer skirts and killer heels, but as he studied her closely, now, Alex couldn't help wondering how in the world she managed to make such casual clothes look sexy as hell.

"So," Addison began, raising her glass, "what are we drinking to?"

"How about to not being in Seattle?" Alex asked raising his glass as well.

"I can get behind that," Addison nodded, clinking her glass against his and taking a hearty sip of vodka.

The pair drank in silence for a while, stealing glances at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. Finally, Alex gathered the courage to break the silence. "So," he began from his place on the loveseat, "something's wrong with you. You wanna talk about it?"

Addison raised an eyebrow, shifting on the couch that she was sitting on, "You're the one who showed up at my house in the middle of the night. I think _you _should talk about it."

"Well played," Alex conceded, as Addison refilled their glasses.

Addison looked at Alex expectantly. He took a gulp of vodka, and the proceeded to fill her in on the chief's wife's Alzheimer's, Sheppard's clinical trial, Meredith's breech of ethics, and how he had cost himself chief resident by opening his mouth, and ratting out Meredith for tampering with the clinical trial files so that the chief's wife wouldn't get the placebo.

"Wow," Addison breathed when Alex finished. "I'll definitely give the chief a call tomorrow." She brightened, "Oh, and when you and Meredith make up, because I know you will, be sure to tell her that if she is ever in need of a job, she'd fit in perfectly around here. You wouldn't believe some of the ethically questionable shit my practice has pulled."

"That's your response?" Alex asked, pretending to be hurt. "You're clearly drunk. I'm cutting you off." He motioned towards himself, "Hello? Gifted surgeon denied chief resident position, and your response is to offer Meredith Grey a job?"

"Oh, please," Addison retorted, "you already know I think you're a talented surgeon and, for what it's worth, I _am _sorry you didn't get chief resident." She shot him a quizzical look, "Don't you have a girlfriend to inflate your ego with these types of pick-me-ups?"

"Lucy, nah. We broke up."

"Oh," Addison said quietly. "I'm sorry to hear that. Although, now that you're no longer with her, I feel an obligation to tell you that her surgical skills are seriously lacking."

Alex chuckled. "Good to know." He paused, contemplating his next move, "Okay, so now that you know why I'm miserable, why were you so intent on drinking yourself into a coma tonight?"

"Uh…yeah…well, it looks like you're not the only one dealing with a failed relationship. I just ended one about an hour ago."

"Oh," Alex mouthed. "Sorry."

They stared at each other in silence for a couple minutes, not knowing what to say. "I could leave," Alex offered. "I mean, you probably want to deal with this stuff on your own."

"It' okay," Addison smiled weakly. "Besides, it's less pathetic if you get drunk with somebody, than if you get drunk alone."

"Then here's to only being mildly pathetic," Alex said, raising his glass, hoping to make Addison smile. A small laugh escaped her lips, and Alex relished the sound of it.

"Did you love her?" Addison asked, catching Alex off guard.

"What?"

"Wow, that was wildly inappropriate. You don't have to answer that. I don't know why I even…"

"No, I didn't." He hesitated for a moment. Oh, what the hell, she asked him. It was only fair. "Did you love him?"

Addison hesitated. "I said I did, but I think I said it more to sooth my own conscience than anything else." She watched the confusion cloud Alex's eyes. "Sam is my best friend's ex-husband," she continued, "and I couldn't be that woman again, so I insisted that I loved him and, even when I knew that our relationship wasn't going to work out, I continued to insist that I loved him because, if I didn't, what would that make me? The bitch, who not only slept with her husband's best friend, but with her best friend's ex-husband. And I couldn't have that. I can't have that."

Alex got up off the loveseat and sat down next to Addison on the couch. Taking her hand in his, and rubbing it softly, he said, "Nobody in Seattle sees it that way anymore, and you know it. Shepherd and Sloan have moved past it. Hell, they're even friends. And while I can't speak for the people here, I'm sure they don't see you that way either."

Addison shrugged. "Maybe," she replied unconvincingly.

The sadness in her eyes caused a lump to form in Alex's throat, as he was reminded of how broken she looked all those times back in Seattle when Shepherd would shoot her a patronizing look or Sloan would make hurtful, unfair comments to her. He couldn't stand to see her hurting then, and he couldn't stand to see her hurting now. He had to find a way to lighten the mood.

"You'll get through this, I know you will," Alex smiled.

"What?"

"Well for starters, you're a lot tougher than you look. I mean, you lived in Shepherd's trailer."

"I didn't like it."

"Yeah, but you sucked it up. I mean, I walked out the door of that trailer, one morning, saw a bear, and screamed like a little girl. And you, you lived with Shepherd – that's a lot scarier. I wouldn't have been able to do that."

A small smile came to Addison's lips and, before long, both she and Alex were laughing about the trailer and their miserable experiences there. And, just like that, the somber mood was broken. Alex and Addison spent the next two hours drinking and laughing as they talked about surgeries and gossiped about their colleagues. And Alex smiled when he looked down and saw that he had never let go of Addison's hand.

xxxxx

"You did _not_ read Violet Turner's book?" Addison giggled drunkenly, as she ran her hands up and down Alex's muscular arm.

Alex tried to ignore the shivers running down his spine. He held his hand up in protest and chuckled, "Look, you have to keep this on the down low. People already think I'm soft for giving up plastics; if this gets out, I'll never hear the end of it but, yes, I read her book."

"But why?" Addison laughed. "I mean, it doesn't exactly strike me as your type of read."

Alex cringed. "I heard it was about some crazy lady performing a quote-unquote c-section; it sounded cool. Besides, it's been so long since I've actually had a good neonatal attending, I thought I might be able to learn something about technique from that psychopath," Alex laughed.

"Oh, you are going straight to hell, Dr. Karev," Addison teased. Then lowering her voice, she suggestively added, "Missed me that much, huh?"

"Hey, who said I was talking about you?" Alex protested. But, then, lowering his own voice to match her seductive tone, he replied, "Yeah, I missed you. A lot."

Addison's eyes flickered down towards Alex's lips as she began to close the space between them. "Addison," Alex started, swallowing hard, "are you sure this is a good i…"

"Shhh," Addison interrupted. "Just for tonight, please?"

"It's just…we're both…so….messed up right now," Alex tried to protest. "I wouldn't want to take advanta…"

"Alex, we're both adults," Addison reasoned. "You're going through a tough time. My life, as of late, has been nothing but one long string of tough times. Can't we just be two friends helping each other get through a tough time, no feelings attached?" she asked, gently caressing his cheek with her hand.

As much as Alex wanted to protest because, let's face it, he could never not have feelings when it came to Addison, he found himself completely defenseless against her. Looking into her clear blue eyes, feeling her soft touch against his cheek, and breathing in her perfume again, he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and kiss her for all he was worth. "Sounds reasonable," he finally murmured, pressing his lips up against hers.

The kiss started slowly and gently, but it quickly became more urgent, desperate, and passionate. Addison pulled Alex in to deepen the kiss even further when the front door swung opened and Amelia's cheerful voice rang out, "Well! Look who made…up?"


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hope you're enjoying the story, so far. I really enjoyed writing this chapter; I'd love to hear what you think!

_**Best of Me**_

_**Chapter 3: Something to Talk About**_

"You're not Sam!" Amelia exclaimed.

"She's observant," Alex muttered dryly to Addison, who was still breathing heavily, recovering from their kiss.

"Uhh…Amelia…hello," Addison finally stuttered awkwardly. "This… this is my friend, Alex Karev. We use to work together in Seattle. We were just…"

"Oh, spare me!" Amelia interrupted. "I know exactly what you were doing. I walked in on you, remember? Weren't you supposed to be getting back together with…"

"Oh, how rude of me!" Addison exclaimed, cutting her off. "Alex, this is Amelia Shepherd, brain surgeon extraordinaire!"

"Shepherd? As in related to Derek McDreamy Shepherd?"

"McWho?" Amelia asked.

"Rule number one, Karev," Addison declared drunkenly, "in L.A. we don't Mc things. "But, yes," she continued in a more serious tone, "Amelia is Derek's younger sister."

"Dude, you're McSister! Wait until Meredith and Cristina hear that I met another McSister!" Alex declared. Oh, man, he silently scolded himself. Now _you're _giving people McNames. You must be drunker that you thought. Or turning into a chick.

"No Mc-ing people or things!" Addison practically shouted.

"Oh, it's really too bad that we can't Mc people or things," Alex teased. "Otherwise, I'd tell you what your McName was."

"Umm…" Amelia said, clearing her throat, trying to catch Addison's attention.

Alex and Addison both ignored her. "I had a McName?" Addison asked incredulously. "What was it?"

Alex pretended to think about it. "Hmm…I wish I could tell you, but I seem to remember a very strict no McNaming people or things in L.A policy. It's too bad, though," he continued, raising an eyebrow, "your McName was _really_ good."

"Um…hey? Guys?" Amelia tried unsuccessfully to cut in.

"Seriously, you're not going to tell me, Alex?"

"Hey, who am I to argue with L.A. rules?"

"Okay! McMorons!" Amelia shouted, finally succeeding in catching Alex and Addison's attention. "As much fun as this little conversation is… Addison, I really need to talk to you in the kitchen."

"Uhh…yeah…sure…okay." Turning back to Alex, she assured, "I'll be right back."

"Umm…actually, it's getting late, and we drank a lot. I should probably head back to the trailer and get some sleep."

"Oh no!" Addison declared. "You are not sleeping in that trailer. That's another L.A. rule. I insist you sleep in one of my guest rooms."

Alex hesitated, "You sure?"

"Alex," Addison said a bit more forcefully, "you are not sleeping in the trailer. Got it?"

Alex smirked. "Got it."

xxxxx

"What the hell are you doing, Addison?" Amelia demanded.

"What do you mean?" Addison asked innocently.

"What do you mean, what do I mean? I mean, you told me that you were going to get back together with Sam tonight, and then I come home to find you making out with another guy – albeit a very hot guy – but another guy!"

"Amelia, calm down. Sam and I are expired milk, and that kiss with Alex…that was nothing. It was just two friends helping each other get over a bad day. That's all."

"That wasn't exactly what I would call a friendly kiss."

"We were drunk, Amelia. We're still drunk. Hell, I'm so drunk that if I had been drinking with you instead of him, I probably would have started making out with you."

"As flattered as I am, Addison, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"What, me making out with you? No, definitely not a good idea, especially…"

"Addison," Amelia cut her off, "I meant you making out with Alex."

"Oh. Amelia, as much as I would love to continue this conversation with you, I think it would be best if we had it some other time when I'm not seeing two of you."

"If you say so."

"I do. Good night, Amelia."

"Good night Addison."

"Hey, Addison," Amelia called out, just as Addison was leaving the kitchen.

"Yes?"

"Since Alex is just a _friend_, if he's going to be staying here for a while, would it be okay if, I mean, would you mind if I asked him out?"

"What?"

"I mean, you've obviously slept with him in the past, and I'm okay with that. I mean, he's really hot. You'd have to be crazy not to sleep with him. And it's been a while since, well, you know and, well, a girl has needs, sooo…"

"I'll think about it," Addison sighed.

"That's all I ask."

"Good night, Amelia."

"Night."

As she left the kitchen, Addison let Amelia's request sink in, and the more she thought about it, the more she hated the idea. Amelia and Alex? Well, they are about the same age, she thought to herself, but, still, something bothered her. It wasn't as if she and Alex would ever work as a couple. He had made it clear that he wasn't interested. But Amelia was right – her kiss with Alex was more than just a friend helping another friend through a rough time. There was way too much desire and intimacy – on both their parts. Still, nothing could ever come of it because, even on the off chance that Alex was interested, Addison still desperately wanted a child, and she couldn't drag Alex into that mess.

And this is why you're a surgeon and not a therapist, Addison thought to herself.

Making her way to her room, Addison noticed that the light in the guest room was still on. She knocked softly, and the door opened to reveal Alex dressed in a black tank top and a pair of boxers. Addison felt her cheeks flush as she let her eyes roam over his muscular body. Finally, breaking the silence, she stammered, "umm…hey…I just…I wanted to make sure you have everything you need."

"I do. Thank you, Addison. And thank you for letting me stay here tonight."

"Of course," Addison replied warmly, relishing in the way her first name sounded coming out of Alex's mouth. "Hey, look, I'm going to put a bottle of aspirin in the kitchen if you need it. We drank a lot and, well, if you get a hangover…"

"Thanks, but I actually feel pretty good. I think vodka was a much smarter choice than tequila," Alex grinned. "How are you feeling?"

"Surprisingly, okay. I could have done without the lecture I just got from Amelia, but I think it actually helped sober me up. Anyway, the aspirin's there if you need it."

"Thanks, Addison," Alex smiled. "Thanks for everything. See you tomorrow," he whispered, placing a soft kiss on her temple.

"Yeah, good night, Alex," Addison responded, and made her way out of the guest room and into the hallway.

She had only made it a couple of feet when she heard Alex's voice softly call out, "McHot."

Addison turned, and saw Alex standing in the doorway of the guest room. "What?" she asked in confusion.

"McHot." He repeated, with a soft smile. "That was your McName."

Addison raised an eyebrow, "McHot? I don't know if I should be offended or flattered."

"Be flattered," Alex assured her. "It was definitely a compliment."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy & please review! I'd love to hear what you think!

* * *

><p><em><strong>Best of Me<strong>_

**Chapter 4: _Next to You_**

Alex opened his eyes, and felt his hangover hit. Tired as he had been, he had trouble falling asleep because his mind had been racing all night with thoughts of Addison, thoughts him and Addison, and thoughts of how inappropriate it would be for him and Addison to get together. They had both _just_ gotten out of relationships and hers seemed like a pretty serious one. And while the rational part of his brain understood this, there was another part of him that couldn't help but marvel at how genuinely happy he felt whenever he was around Addison, how being around her brought out the best in him. But if Alex Karev was used to one thing, it was not getting what he wanted, and so he promised himself that he would sort things out with Addison before they got any messier. Yes, he would make sure she understood that the kiss was a drunken mistake. He figured she probably felt the same way, anyway.

Showering and changing into a t-shirt and jeans, Alex made his way into the kitchen in search of the aspirin that Addison had so kindly left out for him the night before.

As he walked through the living room, Alex made out the outline of a figure curled up on the couch.

"Morning," it croaked.

"Addison?" Alex asked.

"Yeah."

"What are you doing lying here in the dark?"

"I'm hung-over," Addison started, "and all this beautiful California sunlight is making my bedroom too bright and not helping the hangover, so I came down here. It's darker."

"Oh," Alex nodded.

"How about you? How are you feeling?"

"Oh, I'm hung-over," Alex assured her. "I was actually on my way to pop some aspirin. Can I get you anything? Water? Toast? Some other hangover remedy of choice?"

"Umm…yeah, I guess maybe some aspirin, something bready, and I should have some green Powerade in the refrigerator," Addison replied gratefully. "Help yourself to whatever you want."

"Thanks," Alex responded heading into the kitchen. He quickly returned with two bagels, some aspirin, a glass of water for himself, and a green Powerade for Addison. "Powerade _Zero_?" he smirked at her. "Must taste like crap."

"Shut up," Addison retorted. "It tastes the same as regular Powerade. In fact, I think I like it better."

"Yeah, okay," Alex teased. "Next you're gonna tell me that fresh fruit can be just as delicious as a piece of chocolate lava cake, right?"

"Now you're just being crazy."

Alex laughed and sat down on the love seat. He wanted to sit on the couch with Addison, but he figured that after last night's events and his resolution to dismiss their kiss as a drunken mistake, some separation might be a good thing.

"Good morning!" Amelia chirped, entering the living room and turning on the lights.

"Ughhh…lights….bad….no," Addison groaned. Alex couldn't help laughing at her.

"What are you, a vampire?" Amelia shot back.

"No," Addison answered, I'm a very hung-over person, who is sensitive to light right now, so please, please turn the lights off," she begged. "And lower your voice."

"Fine," Amelia conceded. "Hey, Alex," she brightened, "Have you seen the deck? Addison has a great view of the ocean. You've gotta see it."

Addison groaned inwardly.

"Uhh…thanks for the offer," Alex started, "but I'm pretty hung-over too. I think I'll just sit here in the dark for a while with Dracula, over here. Maybe you can show it to me in a little while, though."

"Suit yourself," Amelia laughed. "Listen, I'm gonna head out for a bit. Try not to have too much fun you two."

Alex chuckled as he heard the door close. "Is she always this bright and shiny?"

"Bright and shiny? As in Derek and Meredith bright and shiny? You get that I'm hung-over, right? Do you want me to vomit all over the place?"

Alex held up his hands in surrender. "Okay. Point taken. Hey, you know the best way to cure a hangover?"

"No. How?"

"Let's eat our hangover food, you can drink your gross Powerade, and we can watch really crappy T.V."

"First off, my Powerade is amazing, and second, I'm all for some crappy T.V." Addison responded, grabbing the remote and turning on the television. "Oh, an E.R. marathon," she smiled. "I love making fun of all the inaccuracies in medical shows."

"You would," Alex laughed, positioning himself on the loveseat so that he could see the T.V. better.

"You know," Addison started, "you can't really see the T.V. from over there. Wanna join me on the couch?"

Alex happily acquiesced and sat down next to her. Testing the waters, Addison moved in closer to Alex, and she smiled when he lifted his arm so she could rest her head on his chest. Alex wrapped his arms around Addison, gently rubbing her back and running his hand through her hair. "You're not gonna puke all over me?" he smirked.

She looked up at him and smiled softly. "No," she whispered, cuddling closer to him. And as he allowed himself to hold her just a little closer, Alex decided that this was easily the best hangover of his life. He also decided that he'd have to move their "just friends" discussion to some other time.

xxxxx

"So, we should probably talk," Alex began, as he and Addison sat down for dinner at her kitchen table.

"Umm…okay."

"So, I was planning on heading back to Seattle tomorrow, and I just wanted to make sure that things are okay between us. That we're on the same page, ya know."

"What?"

"The kiss," Alex explained.

"Oh,"

"Right. Uhh…it was…umm," Alex stammered.

"A drunken lapse in judgment," Addison finished. "Two friends helping each other through a rough time."

"Uhh…right…yeah," Alex breathed. "Good. So, um, we're good?"

"Yeah, we're good. All good."

"Good," Alex smiled, hoping his voice didn't betray the disappointment he felt.

"So, you're leaving tomorrow? Pretty quick visit, Karev," Addison teased.

"Yeah, well, I've gotta get back to work. Besides, I don't want to overstay my welcome here. Plus, all this sun…that can't be good for a person."

Addison laughed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm really glad you showed up this weekend. You really made what would have been an otherwise truly awful weekend, bearable."

"Bearable. Whoa, don't hurt yourself with the compliments. But, yeah, this weekend helped me sort out a lot of stuff too, so, umm, thanks."

Addison smiled. "Hey, my door is always open if you need to clear your head… or if you're in L.A. and you need a place to stay."

"Thanks. I'd make the same offer to you, if you're ever in Seattle, but I live in your ex-husband's trailer, so that might not be the most tempting offer."

xxxxx

"Well, have a safe drive," Addison said, as she and Alex stood in front of the trailer the next morning. "And be careful with that thing on the highway," she warned, pointing to the trailer.

"Right," Alex smiled. "And sorry for just showing up this weekend; I usually don't do that."

Addison chuckled, "Well, good luck with things back in Seattle."

"Good luck, yourself," Alex smiled.

They met each other's eyes, holding contact a bit too long to be considered appropriate.

"We should keep in touch," Alex said suddenly, forcing himself to draw his eyes away from Addison's.

"Why would we do that?" Addison asked suspiciously.

"We're friends, right? Friends keep in touch. I'm not talking about calling each other every day. I'm talking about a text here, an e-mail there…that kind of thing."

"Oh," Addison replied. "I'll think about it."

"You'll do it," Alex scoffed.

"And what makes you so sure?"

"Because," he smirked, "you might talk tough, Montgomery, but, for what it's worth, I think you're gonna miss me." And, with that, he placed a chaste kiss on Addison's cheek, and made his way into the trailer.

xxxxx

For the next few months, Alex and Addison kept in touch and, as promised, they kept things light and friendly. Addison would taunt Alex with cool surgeries that she was performing; Alex would update Addison on Seattle gossip; Addison sent Alex a picture of the sunny L.A. beach, with the caption, "Jealous?" Alex sent Addison a picture of a bottle of _regular_ Powerade with the exact same caption.

That's not to say, they didn't have their more flirtatious texts. They were Alex and Addison, after all. Alex chuckled to himself as he reread one of their most recent conversations.

Alex: My chief resident is really riding my ass today. If I have to fill out another stupid, unnecessary form, I might actually kill her.

Addison: You better respect her. I swear, Karev, if I find out that you're disrespecting your superiors again, I will fly myself out to Seattle and really ride your ass.

Alex: Is that a promise?

As the time passed, things started to settle back into place for Addison. The awkwardness between her and Sam had disappeared, confirming what she had known all along: she and Sam worked best as friends, and she felt lucky that, despite all that had happened between them, that their friendship was back on track and stronger than ever.

Addison was getting so used to her life being comfortable and uncomplicated that she nearly jumped out of her skin when she walked into St. Ambrose Hospital for a surgery and saw none other than Alex Karev, dressed in a pair of St. Ambrose scrubs, comforting her patient and carefully explaining the procedure that she would soon be undergoing.

What the hell is he doing here? Addison asked herself.

Addison cleared her throat from her place in the doorway, attracting both her patient and Alex's attention.

Alex gasped, "What the…"

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Davidson," Addison interrupted. "My name is Dr. Montgomery, and I will be performing your surgery, this afternoon. It seems that Dr. Karev has already gone over the procedure with you. Are there any questions I can answer for you?"

"Umm…no. I think Dr. Karev has answered all of them," Mrs. Davidson responded nervously.

Addison smiled reassuringly, "That's good. Well, if do have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask." She turned her attention to Alex, "Okay, Dr. Karev, please finish prepping Mrs. Davidson for surgery. I'll be back in a bit."

xxxxx

The surgery was a success. It was a difficult procedure, but both mother and child had pulled through. As he watched Addison operate, Alex couldn't help but remember how much he enjoyed working with her. Not only was she a brilliant surgeon, she was also the best teacher that he ever had – not to mention, the hottest. And he felt his heart swell with pride when, after performing the c-section, Addison put him in charge of the infant, who's breathing was irregular, while she tended to the mother.

"You did good in there, Karev," Addison smiled, as they scrubbed out together.

"Thanks. You too. And thanks for, you know, trusting me with, you know," he trailed off. "It meant a lot to me."

Addison smiled as she turned off the sink. "So, uh, what are you doing here, Karev?"

"I transferred to St. Ambrose. I needed a fresh start. With everything that's happened in Seattle…with Izzie, and O'Malley, and the shooting…I just couldn't breathe there anymore. So, I figured some sunshine might be nice. That, and the chief of staff here, Charlotte King, made me a pretty sweet offer, for a resident, anyway."

"And you didn't tell me? I thought we were friends. Friends share these kinds of things with each other."

Alex laughed. "I've only been out here for about a week and a half. I'm still getting settled. I was gonna call you once things got a little less crazy. So, you work here? I thought you worked at a fancy private practice."

"I do," Addison responded, rolling her eyes. "But if one of my patients is rushed to St. Ambrose, or if there's a particularly complicated surgery, I work here too."

"Oh," Alex nodded in understanding. "So, since we're both living here, and all, we should get together sometime soon."

Addison nodded. "Yeah. Sure. I'm free tonight, actually. Does that work for you?"

Alex looked uncomfortable. "Umm, could we actually do something tomorrow night?'

"What's wrong, Karev? Got a hot date tonight?" Addison teased.

Alex shifted nervously.

"Oh," Addison said quietly, "you do. Uh…well, have fun."

They stood in silence for a while, avoiding each other's eyes. Both breathed a sigh of relief when Alex's pager started beeping.

"Well, I guess I should go," Alex stammered. "Let me know about tomorrow night, okay?"

"Uh, yeah, sure, I'll let you know," Addison responded. "It was nice running into you, Dr. Karev."

"Yeah, see you around, Dr. Montgomery."

Addison sighed as she watched Alex leave. He was only here a week and, already, he had a date? She really hated him sometimes, and she really hated herself for being so worked up over the fact that her _friend_ had a date.

xxxxx

"Have I done something to hurt you? Have I been unkind to you in some way?" Addison asked as she barged into Charlotte King's office, not even bothering to knock.

"Addison, hello," Charlotte greeted. "How can I help you?"

"Oh, you've already done enough."

"I have? What are you talking about?"

"You hired Alex Karev," Addison accused.

"Yes, I did. And this is a problem because?"

"He makes my life complicated, Charlotte."

"Why? He's a great surgeon. He came here highly recommended and, even though he's only been here a week, he's already proving to be a great asset. I really think you're gonna like working with him."

"I've worked with him before…in Seattle," Addison said dryly.

"Oh, do you not like working with him because, if you don't, well that's just tough sh…"

"It's not that," Addison groaned.

"Oh," Charlotte smiled knowingly. "You like him."

"Charlotte, I don't,' Addison lied.

"Oh, you really like him. You can't even look me in the eye."

"Charlotte, it's not like that." Okay, maybe it's exactly like that.

"Look, Montgomery, what you choose to do with your personal life is your business. Just remember, this is not Seattle Grace, so keep your sexcapades out of my hospital."

"Who even said there are going to be sexcapades? He has a date tonight – with another woman!"

"I thought you didn't like him?" Charlotte asked with feigned innocence. "So, what's really going on with you two?"

"I don't like him. There's nothing going on between us. And you are impossible," Addison declared through gritted teeth.

"Well, you're obviously in denial, and this conversation is going nowhere, so if you don't mind, Montgomery, I have actual work that needs to get done."

"Fine," Addison grumbled. "Thanks for nothing."

xxxxx

"Hey, are you awake?" Alex asked.

Addison laughed into the phone, "Well, considering it's only 8:30 and I _am_ talking to you right now, yeah, I'd say I'm awake."

"Can I stop by?" Alex asked hopefully.

"Aren't you on a date?"

"Date ended…a while ago,"

"So, I take it things didn't go well?" Addison smiled.

"Have you ever known a good date to end before 9? So can I come over or what?"

Addison let out an exasperated sigh, "Yeah, I guess."

"Whoa, don't sound too excited or anything," Alex said as he rang the doorbell. "Oh, by the way, I'm here."

Addison shook her head as she opened the door. "How did you know I'd say yes?"

"I didn't," Alex smirked, placing his phone in his pocket. "I just hoped you would. So, I brought wine. Want some?"

"Always," Addison laughed, getting glasses from the kitchen and pouring them each a glass of wine. "So," she prompted, sitting down next to Alex on the couch, "are you going to tell me about it?"

"She called me Alvin the entire date!" Alex exclaimed. "Alvin! Do I look like somebody who would be named Alvin?"

Addison tried to contain her laughter, and pretended to look thoughtful, "Hmm…I don't know. What exactly does an Alvin look like?"

"Not like me!" Alex exploded.

"So, I take it you didn't sleep with her," Addison deadpanned.

Alex shuddered, "Don't even joke about that. I don't think I could handle being called Alvin in the bedroom."

Addison smiled, but then grew serious, "I'm sorry your date didn't work out."

Cupping Addison's cheek with his hand, Alex smiled. "Don't be," he said softly. "I'm not."

Addison felt her heart race, "You're not?"

"I'm not," Alex murmured, locking eyes with her. "There was somewhere else I wanted to be." Tucking a stray hair behind Addison's ear, he whispered, "You're beautiful; you know that?"

"And you," Addison said huskily, not breaking eye contact, "you're way too good looking to be an Alvin." Alex smiled softly, before closing the remaining space between them and kissing her hard on the mouth. Addison responded eagerly, running her hands through his short hair. Alex pulled Addison in closer to deepen the kiss, and a small moan escaped the back of Addison's throat. "My room?" she mumbled against his lips? "Uh-huh," he murmured back, unable to say much else and, frantically removing each other's clothing, they continued kissing heatedly as they made their way to the bedroom.

xxxxx

The next morning, when Addison walked into St. Ambrose, she saw Alex standing by the nurses' station talking to an attractive female resident. She tried to tamp down the jealousy that was threatening to bubble out of her. Last night, she and Alex had shared an intimate moment on the couch, followed by several rounds of mind-blowing sex; this morning, she woke up wrapped in his muscular arms, he insisted on making her breakfast, and they had even made plans to do something later in the evening. Now, here he was flirting unabashedly with another woman. She was ready to tear him a new one, but as she walked closer, she felt her jealously melt away.

"So, you really don't want to give us another shot, Alvin?" the young woman asked flirtatiously. "I mean, I know last night was a little awkward, but we could try again. We could go for French food instead of Italian; that might make things less awkward."

"Thanks, but no thanks, Cassidy," Alex responded. "You're great and all, but I-I just can't see anything happening between us. And I don't want to waste your time."

"Well, if you come over tonight, Alvin, maybe I can change your mind."

Addison laughed as she walked over to the residents. "Sorry to interrupt, but I need to borrow Alvin over here for a moment."

"Of course," Cassidy smiled, reading the name on Addison's lab coat. "Oh," she said suddenly, "you're Dr. Montgomery. I'm scrubbing in with you this afternoon on Mrs. Chester's c-section – triplets!" she gushed.

"Great," Addison responded with forced enthusiasm. I'll see you at one then. Come on _Alvin_."

"Thanks for that," Alex said gratefully when they were alone. A look of panic laced his features, "She's scrubbing in with you today?"

"Looks that way."

"Well, just make sure you keep her away from the birth certificates. Who knows what types of crazy names she'll write down for the triplets?"

"Thanks for the tip," Addison smiled. "We still on for tonight?"

"Of course. I've already got the whole thing planned. I'll pick up around 7? Does that sound good?"

"Sounds great," Addison smiled. "Well, I should probably go check on Mrs. Chester. See you tonight," she said, pulling Alex in for a quick kiss, which he immediately deepened into a kiss that was in no way acceptable for work.

"See you later," Alex said, still breathing heavily, when they finally broke apart.

And as they headed off in different directions, neither noticed Charlotte King, who had just witnessed the whole thing. "Nothing's going on, my ass," Charlotte smirked as she walked back to her office, shaking her head in amusement.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it & please review!

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><p><strong><em>Best of Me<em>**

**Chapter 5: _Steal Your Heart_**

"So…how are things going with the man candy," Violet asked coyly, taking a sip of her martini.

Addison smiled at her, "Things with Alex are going well." Really well, she amended in her head.

"That's all you're gonna give us," Amelia complained. "Come on, I can tell you're dying to share more."

"Hey, you live with her," Violet smirked, nudging Amelia playfully. "I'm pretty sure you know how things are going."

Addison rolled her eyes at Violet, "I think my house is big enough to avoid that." Then, lowering her voice, she added, "But the sex is amazing. I mean, think of the best sex you've ever had and then triple it because, seriously, guys, it's _that_ good."

"Hmm," Charlotte said thoughtfully, "so is the sex good on its own or do you guys use-"

"Okay!" Amelia interjected. "I am going through the longest dry spell of my life, and I think that hearing about Addie's sex life with Mr. I'm too damn good looking for my own good, over there," she said gesturing across the bar to where Alex was playing darts with Cooper, Pete and Sam, "will just drive me over the edge!"

"Okay," Addison smiled, "new topic, then."

"So, how's working with Alex going?" Violet asked.

"Not sure that this really qualifies as a new topic," Addison laughed, "but it's going really well. I mean, I might be biased, but he's really grown as a doctor since I last worked with him."

"You're not biased," Charlotte assured, "He's a really good doctor. You know, he'll be a shoo-in for St. Ambrose's neonatal and peds fellowship next year." She was silent for a moment. "I'm pretty sure I shouldn't have told you guys that. I really need to find some new friends. Y'all are turning me into this unprofessional over-sharer."

"But you love us," Violet teased.

"Yeah, sure," Charlotte smirked. Then, turning her attention to Addison, she confided, "Look, Montgomery, you and me…we don't really have those conversations where we pour our hearts out to each other and share our feelings but, I have to say, you seem happy…really happy…I think this is a good relationship for you." Then meeting Cooper's eye, across the bar, and smiling softly at him, she murmured to herself, "Trust me, I know a good thing when I see it."

Addison smiled at Charlotte. She was right; her relationship with Alex was a very good thing. They had been dating for about four months, and things were going well. Alex seemed to get along with her friends and colleagues, and it was obvious that her friends liked him as well.

Still, her favorite person to watch Alex interact with was Lucas, Pete and Violet's son. The little boy had taken a liking to Alex immediately, and watching Alex lift Lucas on his shoulders or play trains with him was enough to make Addison melt. Of course, watching Alex with Lucas also reminded Addison of the baby issue, which was constantly weighing on her mind. She still wanted to have a child desperately, and she knew that her window of opportunity (if it even existed) was closing fast. But, she and Alex had only been dating for four months, and she didn't know how to broach the subject without sending him heading for the hills.

xxxxx

"So…how goes things with Addison?" Cooper asked Alex with a grin.

Alex took a sip of his beer and laughed, "Dude, are you seriously trying to talk relationships with me? Are you sure you shouldn't be sitting over there with them?" he asked, motioning across the bar to the table where Addison, Charlotte, Violet, and Amelia were sitting.

"I hate to break it to you, Alex," Cooper smiled, "but this group here…we're not really the epitome of rugged men's men. I mean, I'm married to a woman who clearly wears the pants in our relationship, Pete's married with a kid, so he's an even more whipped than I am, and Sam…well, he's not dating or married, but he wears a lot of pastel pink and purple shirts so, again, not really a picture of manliness."

"Good to know. I'm still not talking relationships with you."

"Hey," Pete said, walking over to Alex and Cooper, "if either of you feel like getting your ass handed to you by Sam in darts, the floor is all yours."

"I think I'll pass," Cooper said. "I was trying to have a conversation with Alex about his relationship with Addison, but apparently he's too manly to talk relationships."

"Oh, leave him alone," Pete laughed, "things are clearly going well. I mean, he's got that 'I'm getting it regularly' look on his face, and he hasn't been able to keep his eyes off Addison the whole night."

"You know, maybe if you paid a little less attention to me and a little more to your dart game, Sam wouldn't have completely humiliated you out there," Alex shot back.

"Well played. So are we still going running tomorrow?"

"Definitely," Alex smiled.

"Great. Let's meet at my place. Addison's great and all, don't get me wrong, but I really think she might be trying to kill us with that Powerade Zero stuff she offers us after we workout."

"Sounds good, man," Alex grinned.

"So, are you sure you don't want to talk about your relationship with Addison?" Cooper tried once more. "We're really good listeners," he teased.

"Dude, I know you're joking, but one more comment like that, and we're sending you over to the women's table and bringing your wife over here to take your place," Alex warned.

Truth be told, Pete was right, Alex couldn't have been happier about his relationship with Addison. That's not to say, he didn't have his insecurities – sometimes he worried that Addison deserved better than him. After all, she was married to Derek Shepherd for eleven years, and she dated guys like Mark Sloan. She was used to a type of lifestyle that Alex knew he wouldn't be able to give her for a couple of years. But, when he accidentally voiced these concerns to Addison, one night when they were fighting, she dismissed them immediately, reminding him that her relationships with Derek and Mark had failed, and assuring him that she wasn't looking for another Derek or Mark. And, sure, she had nice things, and she liked nice things, but she never saw that as the basis for a relationship. "Alex," she reassured him, "at the end of the day, I want to be with someone who notices me and makes me feel special, and you do that. I _want_ to be with you." And with the issue behind them, they proceeded to have very hot make-up sex.

"Ya know, Coop," Alex smiled, rejoining the conversation, "things with me and Addison are good…real good. Come on, let me buy you another beer."

"Um, I was actually drinking appletinis," Cooper joked.

"I have a whole new respect for Charlotte," Alex said shaking his head, as he and Cooper made their way to the bar.

xxxxx

"So, Alvin, I just heard an interesting rumor," Cassidy smiled, as she joined Alex near the nurses station.

"Okay," Alex responded hesitantly, not really sure if he wanted to hear it. Seattle Grace had left him with enough gossip to last a lifetime.

"Apparently you and Dr. Montgomery are an item."

"You _just_ heard that?" Alex laughed.

"Yup, hot off the press, this morning," Cassidy grinned. "So, is it true?"

"Uh, yeah," Alex started, "but it's not really news, Cassidy. We've been together for over four months."

"Oh. Well, congratulations, then," Cassidy smiled. "Dr. Montgomery seems great. I mean, she's a really good teacher and she seems like a nice person too. I'm really happy for you, Alvin."

"Uh, thanks. And it's Alex."

"Oh, okay. That's good to know…but Dr. Montgomery _is_ my boss. I think it would be a little inappropriate for me to call her Alex, don't you? By the way, is that short for Alexandra or something?"

"Um, actually, it's-"

"You know what, never mind," Cassidy interrupted, "she's my boss. I'll just stick to Dr. Montgomery, for now."

"Good idea," Alex agreed, trying his best to keep a straight face. "Well, I should probably go. See you later, Cassidy."

"Later, Alvin! Oh, and tell Alex I say hi!"

Alex shook his head in amusement as he quickly made his way to the on-call room that Addison had paged him to.

"Hey," Addison greeted him, as he opened the door. "You okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I just had a weird conversation with Cassidy, that's all."

"Weird, how?"

"Well, for starters, she still calls me Alvin. And, apparently, word of our relationship is starting to spread throughout the hospital. Not that I mind people knowing," Alex added quickly, "it's just I figured that everyone already knew. Is this how gossip operates outside of Seattle Grace?"

Addison laughed, "Refreshing, isn't it?" Then, grinning mischievously, she added, "But that sort of brings me to this little problem I'm having."

"Problem?"

"Yeah. Charlotte says that because this _isn't_ Seattle Grace, the doctors here should keep their sexcapades outside the hospital."

"Sexcapedes?" Alex asked with a smirk.

"Her word, not mine. Now, I get that, I do, but I also have an hour to kill and, well, you're here and I'm here and…"

"And it's a good thing that neither of us is very good at following the rules," Alex grinned, quickly locking the door before kissing Addison hard on the lips and putting the on-call bed to good use.

xxxxx

"Damn it," Addison cursed, ripping off her scrub cap.

Alex's heart broke for her. He hated losing patients, but Addison always took it much harder than he did. "Addison, it was a difficult procedure. You did everything you could, _and_ you saved the baby," Alex reasoned, trying his best to comfort her.

It had been a very difficult surgery. Their twenty-eight-week pregnant patient had suffered a placenta abruption and, with the baby in distress, Addison needed to perform an emergency c-section. Somehow, Addison managed to save the baby, as premature as he was, but the mother was losing blood too quickly, and despite Addison's best efforts, she bled out.

Addison ran a hand through her hair and sighed, "I have to go talk to the father. God, I hate this part."

"I'll come with you," Alex offered.

"You don't have to."

"I know, but I want to," Alex finished, placing a reassuring hand on his girlfriend's shoulder.

"Mr. Murphy," Addison greeted the nervous looking man in the waiting room.

"Dr. Montgomery, how are they? How's my wife?" the man asked.

"Mr. Murphy, your wife suffered a placenta abruption. The baby was in distress, so I had to perform an emergency c-section," Addison began.

"Oh my goodness. But they're alright, right?"

"Your son is in the NICU. He was born twelve weeks premature, so his lungs are underdeveloped. We have him on a mechanical ventilator to help him breathe, but he is stable."

"And my wife?"

"Mr. Murphy," Addison began gently.

"Dr. Montgomery, please tell me my wife is okay."

"Mr. Murphy, Your wife lost a lot of blood, and we did everything we could to try to save her, but she was losing blood too fast, and we couldn't do anything to help her," Addison said, her heart breaking as she watch the man in front of her fall apart. "I am so sorry. If there's anything I can do, please let me…"

"Haven't you already done enough?" Mr. Murphy interrupted her angrily. "How could you let this happen? Aren't c-sections supposed to be routine surgeries? How could you do this?"

Alex turned to look at Addison, who was blinking back tears.

"Mr. Murphy," Alex cut in, "I understand that you are in a lot of pain right now, and I'm sorry; I can't even imagine what you must be going through. But blaming Dr. Montgomery is not going to make this any better. Dr. Montgomery saved your son. Your son, who was born twelve weeks early, has a shot now because of Dr. Montgomery. Mr. Murphy, believe me when I say this, but if it had been any other doctor operating in there today, you would have lost them both."

The man nodded slightly, acknowledging the truth in Alex's words. "So, what am I supposed to do?" Mr. Murphy asked, tears streaming from his eyes. "My innocent, newborn son has to go through life without his mother. What am I supposed to do?"

"You be the best damn father you can possibly be," Alex stated plainly. "That's what you do."

While Alex continued to comfort Mr. Murphy, Addison excused herself and headed to the nearest on-call room. When Alex entered a few minutes later, he found his girlfriend sitting on one of the beds, tears brimming in her eyes, as she stared blankly into space. He walked over to the bed, sat down next to Addison, and pulled her into his lap. "You did nothing wrong," he reassured her, hugging her tightly and softly kissing the top of her head. "There was nothing you could have done, you know that."

Addison sniffled, desperately trying to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks. In that moment, wrapped in Alex's protective embrace, Addison knew that she loved him. In that same moment, however, she also knew that she had to end things with him.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: We're getting pretty close to the end of the story. Thank you so much to everyone who has read it – I really appreciate it! This was originally slated to be the last chapter, but I'm toying with the idea of an epilogue. Let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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><p><strong><em>Best of Me<em>**

**Chapter 6: _For You I Will_**

"Hey," Alex smiled, opening the door to his apartment and letting Addison in. "I thought we weren't meeting up for another two hours," he said, pulling her in for a kiss. "Not that I'm not happy to see you," he mumbled against her lips.

"Um, Alex," Addison started, gently moving out of his arms, "we, uh, we need to talk."

Alex furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Uh, yeah, sure, okay," he said, motioning towards the couch. "What's up?"

"Look, Alex," Addison began, running her hand nervously through her hair. "I don't know how to say this. I mean, I've thought about how to say it, but I don't know, I just don't know how…"

"Addison," Alex cut her off, "it's me; I won't judge you on style. Whatever it is, just say it."

"Okay, right, um, we need to break up, Alex."

"What? Why?" Alex asked, the hurt in his voice obvious.

"Alex, I can't do this to you."

"Do what to me? Is there someone else? Do you want to get back together with Sam? Is it that Dave guy from ortho? I heard rumors that he had a thing for you, but he's kind of weird, and things with us were going so well…"

"Alex," Addison interrupted, "there's no one else. It's nothing like that."

"Then I don't get it. Why do we need to break up?"

The hurt in Alex's eyes was killing Addison. Why couldn't he just be like Sam, she wondered, and give her a calm, emotionless look? That would make this a hell of a lot easier.

"Alex," Addison began slowly, "I want a baby… and not in a couple of years. I want a baby now. And that's not fair to you. You still have to complete your residency, and then you'll have fellowship offers all over the country, and then I'm sure you'll get job offers from hospitals all over the place. And we've only been together for four months, and it's not fair for me to ask you to compromise your career or to force you into something that you don't want to do or aren't ready for."

"Addi…"

"No, wait, I'm not done," Addison said, cutting him off. "Because even if you did want to have kids with me right now, which I'm sure you don't, but if you did, my chances of conceiving a child of my own are next to nothing. And you're going to be a great father some day, I just know it. I've watched you with Lucas, and you're so good with him, and you deserve the chance to have a child of your own when you're ready, and I won't be able to give that to you."

"Addi,"

"Please, just let me finish," Addison begged, tears building in her eyes. "We're at different places in our lives, and it wouldn't be fair for me to ask you to raise a child with me now, and it also wouldn't be fair for you to miss out on being able to have a child of your own. I just, I just can't be what you need."

"What? Addison, you can't be serious," Alex interjected desperately.

"I'm so sorry, Alex," Addison continued, getting up off the couch and grabbing her keys, "but I think breaking up is the right thing to do…the responsible thing to do."

"Can't we talk about this?" Alex asked, fighting back the lump that was forming his throat.

"There's nothing left to discuss. I want a baby now; you don't. I-"

"Addison!" Alex interrupted, "I never said…"

"Do you want a baby right now?" Addison snapped.

"Well, I hadn't really thought about it," Alex admitted. "It wasn't exactly in my immediate plans."

"Exactly," Addison cried. "You should be able to have kids when you want them, and I can't give you that."

"Add,"

"Look, I've gotta go," Addison said tearfully, making her way towards the door. And as Alex watched her retreating form, he wondered how his life had just become so complicated.

xxxxx

Alex was lying on the couch, staring up at the ceiling, replaying his conversation with Addison – well, actually, Addison's rant – over and over again in his head. There was a lot of truth to what she had said. He wasn't ready to be a father any time soon, but he also wasn't ready to lose Addison either. Addison seemed to think that he'd make a good father someday but, with his past, Alex wondered if he could ever really be father material.

Without thinking about it, Alex grabbed his cell phone and found himself dialing a familiar number. Please be there, he begged silently, as the phone rang.

"Meredith Grey," he heard the voice on the other end say.

"Do you like being a mother?"

"Well, hello to you too, Alex."

"Yeah, hi. So, do you?"

"Alex, where is this coming from?"

"I don't know, uh, just wondering, I guess," Alex trailed off, cringing at how ridiculous he sounded.

"Seriously, Alex, what's going on? I mean, you leave Seattle, saying that you need a change, and I get that, I do, but then nobody hears from you for like four months, and we're supposed to be your friends, Alex, your friends. And then, all of a sudden, you call me out of the blue and ask me if I like being a …oh my goodness," Meredith gasped.

"Meredith, what is it? Are you okay?"

"Oh. My. Goodness." Meredith repeated a little louder. "Alex Karev, you knocked up some girl in California, didn't you?"

"What? No!" Alex protested. "Meredith, please tell me you're not at the hospital."

"Of course I'm at the hospital."

Alex groaned, "Oh, shit, this rumor's gonna spread like wildfire."

"Alex, you're going to be a father!" Meredith squealed.

"I'm not, I swear. And keep your voice down."

"So," Meredith asked, ignoring him, "who's the girl? Was she a one-night-stand? Oh, Alex, please tell me you're not having a baby with a one-night-stand."

"I'm not having a baby with a one-night-stand."

"Well, that's a relief. Still, you've only been in California for four months; how well could you possibly know this woman? Do you love her? You probably think it's too soon to tell if you love her or not," Meredith rambled on, "but it might not be. I mean I knew that I loved Derek right away, so it's possible that you might know if you…"

"Meredith!" Alex interrupted, "Can we please stay focused on my question?"

"Oh, right, yes, of course. So, where were we?"

"Parenting," Alex reminded her.

"Right," Meredith smiled. "So, what do you want to know?"

"I don't know. It's just people like you and me, we're dark and twisty and broken. We didn't have good relationships with our parents. Hell, we didn't even have good parents. So I always just figured that someone with my screwed up childhood wasn't supposed to have kids, ya know? But you had a messed up childhood too, and now you have a daughter. And I've seen you with Zola, and you're a good mother, Mer – you're a really good mom. So, I-I don't know, hypothetically speaking, do you think that maybe, maybe I have a chance?"

"Alex, hypothetically speaking, or not, because let's face it, I know you, and this is so not hypothetical, you definitely have a chance – a good chance. Just the fact that you're this worried about screwing up shows that you're gonna be a good dad; it shows that you care. You're amazing with kids and, when you open yourself up to people, you're a really nice guy."

"Thanks, Mer," Alex said, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "I needed that. And I'm sorry for not keeping in touch."

"You can make it up to me by telling me about this woman that you got pregnant."

"Meredith, I promise you, I didn't get anyone pregnant."

"Well, if you want to be tight lipped," Meredith teased, but then grew serious, "Listen, if you ever _do_ want to talk about it, you know where to reach me."

"Thanks, Mer."

"Bye, Alex," Meredith smiled, hanging up the phone.

"Ah-hem," someone cleared his throat behind Meredith, trying to catch her attention. Please let it be Derek or, better yet, let it be someone who doesn't know Alex, Meredith prayed silently, as she turned around to face the throat-clearer. Well, Derek was there…but so were Cristina, Mark, Callie, Arizona, Lexi, Bailey, and the Chief. Maybe they didn't hear me, Meredith thought to herself. Again, no luck.

"Karev got some girl pregnant?" Cristina blurted.

"That damn fool," Bailey muttered, shaking her head.

"Uh, umm, I don't know," Meredith stammered. Then, recovering, she smiled, "Don't you all have patients or something, because I do," and, with that, she made a quick exit.

xxxxx

"Hey, Addie," Amelia smiled, as Addison walked into the kitchen, heading straight for the liquor cabinet. "Oh, scotch? Bad day?"

"Yeah."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"No."

"Well, if you want to talk, you know where…"

"This baby thing is killing me."

"Alex doesn't want kids?"

"I'm not sure."

"You're not sure? How is that possible? Did you ask him?"

"Well, he doesn't want them now, and I don't want to wait. Plus, he deserves a shot at having his own kids, if he wants them."

"Addie, what exactly did Alex say?"

"Not much."

"Not much?"

"Well, I didn't exactly let him speak," Addison squirmed. "I just sort of gave him a speech and broke up with him."

Amelia frowned and playfully hit Addison alongside the head.

"Ouch!" Addison exclaimed. "What was that for?"

"For making me the voice of reason," Amelia shot back. "Look, Addie, I know Sam didn't like addressing the baby issue with you, but Alex is _not _Sam. You owe it to the guy to at least hear him out."

"We'll call that plan B. Right now, we're sticking to plan A, which is getting drunk, so if you don't mind…"

"Addison," Amelia started, "You are imposs…" but she was cut off by the sound of the front door opening.

"Hey," Alex said, poking his head into the kitchen. "Can we talk?"

Amelia smirked at Addison, "Looks like plan B just got bumped up to plan A."

Addison rolled her eyes at Amelia, and then turned her attention to Alex. "Um, yeah, I guess we can talk."

"Oh, look at this beautiful sunset," Amelia exclaimed lamely to nobody in particular. "I simply must go out onto the beach and see it. Besides," she added dryly, as she made her way out the door, "there's nothing like a romantic setting to remind me of how much I love being single."

"She really needs to get laid," Alex smirked, as he joined Addison at the table.

"So, you want to talk? Talk," Addison said, looking at Alex expectantly.

Alex ran a hand through his hair. "Look, Addison, I'll admit it, having kids was never really part of my plan…"

"See," Addison interrupted, "so it's better if we just,"

"No," Alex interrupted. "This time, you're going to let me finish." Then, more gently, he continued, "I love you, Addison. I'm in love with you. You can say it's too soon…that we've only been dating for four months, but I've been spent the better part of the last few years denying my feelings for you, and I'm sick of doing it. I blew my chance with you once and I don't want to do it again."

"You still don't want kids."

"I want you. Do you really think I could just sit back and watch you date, marry, and have kids with somebody else?"

"I can't have kids."

"You don't know that for sure. And even if that's the case, do you really think that I could watch you adopt a child and not want to be involved in his or her life? Do you really think that I could feel the way I feel about you and not love your child?"

"But what about having a child of your own? You deserve that opportunity."

"Addison, the only person I would want to have a child with is you. And so what if we can't have one biologically?" Then, turning a little red, he continued, "Remember, that case that we had when we first started working together – teenager got pregnant and gave birth without her parents even realizing it, got scared, and threw her baby in the trash. We can help give a baby like that a chance to have a good life with parents who love him or her."

Addison felt her resolve begin to slip away. "Yeah, but what about your career," she asked, fighting the urge to give in to Alex completely.

"What about it? I'm almost through with residency. By the time that we either have or adopt a baby, I'll be finished with it and, in case you haven't noticed, Charlotte adores me, so I'm pretty confident I'll be getting a fellowship at St. Ambrose next year."

"And after that?"

"Well, Addison," Alex began cockily, "there are a lot of hospitals in L.A, so if I can't get a job here, then I'm a pretty terrible doctor but, as we both know, I'm a damn good doctor, so that shouldn't be a problem."

"Wow, Karev, could you be any more full of yourself?" Addison teased.

"Probably," Alex smirked. "But we're wasting time. You're trying to get pregnant; that's not gonna happen if we just stand around here talking." And, with that, he scooped her up and carried her off to the bedroom.

xxxxx

"That was amazing," Addison panted.

"So amazing," Alex breathed, still holding Addison close. The two laid in comfortable silence for a while, limbs intertwined, enjoying just being close to each other. Finally, Addison disentangled herself from Alex, and sat up on the bed.

"So, you're really willing to try this…you know, have a baby? Adopt? Whatever?" she asked. Despite Alex's reassurances, earlier, she was still a little nervous about the issue.

Alex looked up at her. "No," he said flatly.

"No?" she exclaimed. "Then what was…what we just….we shouldn't have,"

"Addison," Alex laughed, "didn't you play sports in high school or, at the very least, haven't you read one of the corny motivational posters?"

"I don't see what high school sports or motivational posters have to do with any of this," Addison retorted, clearly not amused.

Kissing her softly, Alex supplied, "_Trying_ to do something means preparing to fail. So, no, I do not want to _try _to have a baby with you, I want to have a baby with you."

"That was kind of awful," Addison admitted. "I really thought you had better game than that." But, then, thinking back to the conversation that she had had with Sam, she added, "but it was also kind of perfect."

"Hey, you don't need to tell me," Alex laughed. "Oh, and heads up, there's a very high chance that there's a rumor going around Seattle Grace that I got a woman in California pregnant. Don't ask, long story. Just wanted to make sure you heard it here first."

"Oh…okay. Thanks for the warning, I guess."

"But, hey, who knows," Alex began with a mischievous grin, "by the time Callie or Bailey or whoever calls to tell you about it, the rumor might be true."

Addison smiled at the thought. "Come on, it's late and we have to be at work early tomorrow. Let's go to bed."

"Night, Addison," Alex said turning off the light.

"Night, Alex."

Addison laid there in the dark for a few minutes, staring up at the ceiling. "Hey, Alex,"

"Yeah?"

"I love you too."


	7. Chapter 7:  Epilogue

Here's the epilogue – I can't believe this story is finished! I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you so much to everyone for reading! I hope you like this final chapter and, as always, reviews are greatly appreciated!

* * *

><p><strong><em>Best of Me<em>**

_**Epilogue**_

_5 years later:_

"Happy birthday, sweetie!" Addison exclaimed, tightly hugging the little girl in her arms.

"Thanks, Aunt Addie!" Zola laughed. "Mommy said that you came all the way from California for my party. That's really far."

"Well, no distance could keep me from coming to my niece's sixth birthday." Addison smiled.

"And we really do appreciate it," Meredith grinned, entering the kitchen and joining the conversation. "Thanks again for coming, Addison. It really means a lot to us."

"Please," Addison said dismissively, "you guys are our family. We wouldn't miss this for the world. I just wanted to see if you needed any help in the kitchen or anything."

"Nope," Meredith replied. "I don't cook, so we had the party catered. Derek's gonna grill later, but I think we're good for now."

"Good," Addison smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. "I don't cook either. I was just trying to be polite. Should we head back outside then?"

"Yes!" Zola sang dancing ahead of them. "Follow me!"

"I swear, Mer," Addison started, as they made their way outside, "Zola just keeps getting cuter and cuter. And William," she said, gesturing towards the three-year-old boy, who was standing next to Derek, "he looks more and more like Derek every time I see him."

"He does, doesn't he?" Meredith asked proudly. "It's really nice to have you back, Addie…even if it's just for the week."

"Now there's a sentence I bet you thought you'd never say," Addison joked. Over the past couple of years, Addison and Meredith had become close friends. They had bonded over their fertility problems and, now, they spoke on the phone at least once or twice a week, which, of course, made Derek very nervous.

"What are we laughing at?" Addison asked as she and Meredith joined Callie, Arizona, and Lexi around the table on the deck, which overlooked Meredith and Derek's beautiful backyard.

"The men in our lives," Callie supplied.

Addison turned her attention to where the other women were looking and laughed as she watched Sophia and Zola hand Mark pink and gold pom-poms. "Do a cheer for us, Daddy," Sophia laughed.

"I bet you never you never saw that side of your fiancé before, huh, Lexi?" Arizona teased.

As the women continued to gossip and joke with each other, Addison returned her attention to the backyard, and smiled as she watched Derek play badminton with William. Her smile grew even wider as she watched Alex gently toss a softball into their three and a half year old daughter's bright pink baseball mitt. Following Addison's gaze, Callie laughed, "That's the first one she's caught all day. You're lucky Piper's adorable, Addie, because you certainly aren't raising a world-class softball player there." Then, growing serious, she added, "But it looks like I was right about Karev – he's a barbeque and catch kind of guy after all."

Addison smiled at her friend's words, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from her husband and daughter. "Yeah," she said softly, "I guess he is."

"Hey, Karev, maybe you should try a different sport," Mark joked, as he and Alex made their way onto the deck, carrying Sophia and Piper with Derek, Zola, and William trailing behind them.

"Funny," Alex shot back. Then turning his attention to Addison, he smirked, "I blame you."

"Me?" Addison asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Alex smiled, putting his daughter down and giving his wife a kiss on the cheek. "How am I supposed to teach Piper to throw and catch properly when she's too worried about chipping a nail?"

"Apparently, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree," Mark chuckled.

Piper climbed onto Addison's lap, and showed her mother her pale pink fingernails. "Still looks good, right Mommy?" she asked, widening her chocolate brown eyes, which always reminded Addison so much of Alex's.

Addison ran her fingers through her daughter's red hair and smiled, "Still looks good, sweetie."

"Oh, Karev, you're in trouble," Mark smirked. "That one's gonna be a heartbreaker."

"You're telling me," Alex said dryly. "She's already got Lucas wrapped around her little finger. But I told her no dating until after med. school, right Piper?"

"Right," the little girl agreed.

"I think that's a good rule for all of you," Callie said to Sophia, who was sitting on her lap, and Zola, who was climbing onto Derek's lap.

"And, as for you, Little Shep," Mark said, pulling William onto his lap, "you and I will have a nice long chat about dating a little later, sound good? I'll teach you everything I know."

"Don't even think about it!" Derek and Addison exclaimed together.

"Hey, who wants some Powerade?" Meredith asked quickly, diffusing the situation before Mark could respond.

"Me!" the children exclaimed together.

Pouring the Powerade, Meredith smiled, "Would you like a glass, Alex? I remember you used to drink this stuff all the time back when you lived in Seattle."

Alex smiled, "Sure. Thanks, Mer. You know, it's been so long since I've drank Powerade, I hope I still like it."

"You drink Powerade all the time, Daddy," Piper corrected him.

"That's true," Alex conceded, as he prepared himself for the teasing he knew he was about to endure, "but I, uh, I drink Powerade Zero now."

Mark and Derek roared with laughter. "Man, Karev, you're going soft. Clearly, living with two women is turning you into a chick," Mark teased.

Alex laughed good-naturedly, "You guys can't really talk. I mean, Derek, you spend more money on hair products than your wife does and, as for you Pom-poms," he said turning his attention to Mark, "you're just as bad as I am."

Derek and Mark were silent for a moment, before Derek burst out laughing, "I can't believe Alex Karev drinks Powerade Zero. You're never living this one down."

"Hey," Alex protested, "don't knock it till you try it. It really does taste the same as regular Powerade. I might even like it better," he winked at Addison. "Plus," he continued, "I live in on beach and, unlike Seattle, it doesn't rain three hundred fifty days a year there, so I've got to be in fighting form all the time."

"It's really too bad you're such a good doctor, Karev," Callie smirked, "because otherwise you would have made a great spokesperson for Powerade Zero."

"Hmm…maybe I'll just have a beer instead," Alex grumbled.

"Or I can make you a cosmopolitan," Lexi offered, fighting back laughter. "We might even be able to put a little umbrella in your drink for you."

Looking at Addison, Alex warned, "Not a word about this conversation to Cooper. If this gets out, he and Sam will have me talking about my feelings and wearing pastel-colored shirts in no time."

"Hey, I think lavender might be your color," Mark teased. "What do you think, Piper…do you think your dad would look good in a purple shirt?"

"Hmm…" the little girl said thoughtfully, "maybe." Then, giving them all what could only be termed an Addison eyebrow raise, she amended, "He might look like a girl, though."

Alex laughed, "See, it looks like we'll have to leave the purple shirt wearing to someone else. Now, come on, Rowdy, let's get away from these clowns and work on your throw again."

"Rowdy?" Meredith asked, as Alex and Piper walked away.

"Rowdy Piper," Addison supplied. "He was a pro-wrestler."

"Wait, how'd you know that, Addie?" Derek asked in confusion. "You know nothing about wrestling."

"My knowledge of wrestling ends there," Addison confessed. "And I only know that because it was a huge selling point for Alex when we were discussing names."

"So, wait, let me get this straight," Mark clarified, "Addison Forbes Montgomery-Karev named her daughter after a wrestler? This is just too good for words."

"No," Addison corrected him, "I was the one who suggested the name Piper to begin with. I had no idea that there was a wrestler with that name so, while I can't speak for Alex on the matter, _I _definitely did not name my daughter after some rowdy wrestler."

"And we're back," Derek laughed.

xxxxx

"So, we'll see you guys tomorrow, at the hospital?" Meredith asked, as she led Addison and Alex to the door.

"Definitely," Alex responded, adjusting his sleeping daughter in his arms.

"Richard would kill us if he knew that we were in town and didn't stop by to say hello," Addison joined in. "Plus, we want to see Bailey."

"_You_ want to see Bailey," Alex corrected her. "I'm pretty sure that Bailey still thinks that I fathered some random woman's child. I still can't thank you enough for starting that rumor, Mer."

"Oh, quiet, Alex," Meredith laughed. "Besides it's your own fault. If you hadn't been so awkward and sketchy in the first place, the rumor never would have gotten started. And now that Bailey knows about Addison and Piper, I think she knows that the rumor isn't true."

Alex shot her a skeptical look.

"Okay," Meredith revised, "maybe she's eight-five percent convinced. Anyway, thanks again for coming, guys. See you tomorrow."

"Thanks for having us, Meredith," Addison smiled. "See you tomorrow."

As they made their way back to their hotel, Addison looked over at Alex from the passenger's seat of their car and smiled, "You know, I think Mark's right."

Not taking his eyes off the road, Alex smirked, "Unlikely, but let's hear it."

"You'd look hot in lavender."

Alex chuckled, "Mark Sloan knows nothing." Then with a grin, he added, "How would I look in nothing."

"Mmm…you look good in nothing," Addison responded appreciatively. "I think you look a lot hotter in nothing than you would in lavender."

"You look hot in nothing too. How about we find an on-call room, tomorrow, when we go to hospital and look hot in nothing together."

"Hmm…very tempting…but also _very_ unprofessional…I'll think about it."

Alex smiled, "I'll take that as a yes." Then, glancing at his sleeping daughter, Alex gathered the courage to ask Addison a question that had been on his mind for a while now. "So, remember a few years ago when you really wanted a baby."

"Of course," Addison smiled, as she looked back at Piper through the rearview mirror.

"How would you feel about another one?"

"You want another baby?"

"Yeah," Alex breathed. "Piper would be a great big sister and kids need family."

"Uh, well," Addison stammered.

"I mean, you have a good relationship with Archer and I do the best that I can with my siblings. And look at Zola and William, and you know that we're going to win that bet we made with Meredith and Derek…Mark is definitely getting Lexi pregnant on their honeymoon, so Sophia will have a sibling before long. And I just thought that another baby might be nice."

"Piper would love a sibling," Addison admitted, the corners of her mouth turning upward. "I don't know, though; they say that lightening never strikes the same place twice."

"I was thinking that maybe we could adopt. I mean if you're up for more fertility treatments and stuff, I'm behind you one-hundred percent, but a part of me also thinks that it might be nice to give a kid, who otherwise might not have a shot a chance to have a nice life and a loving family."

"Seriously, what happened to that pain in the ass intern, who got me a lawsuit and argued with me over everything?"

"We still argue over everything," Alex smirked. "So, are we gonna argue over the baby issue again, like last time, or can we just skip ahead to the sex?"

"I like the idea of adopting," Addison said, a small smile forming on her face. "It feels right.

"I think so too," Alex agreed as he parked the car in the hotel parking lot.

"So, what does this mean?" Addison whispered, as Alex turned the car off.

Alex unbuckled his seatbelt and moved closer to Addison. Tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear and taking her hands in his own, he murmured, "This means we're going to be parents again, this means Piper's going to be a big sister, this means…" but he was cut off by Addison's lips against his.

"I love you," Alex breathed, when they broke apart, "so much."

"I love you so much too," Addison returned, getting lost in Alex's eyes. "There is no one in the world I'd rather have a family with."

Getting out of the car, and unbuckling his sleeping daughter from her car seat, Alex gave Addison a soft smile. "You know," he smirked, "we really should have hot on-call room sex tomorrow…just to seal the deal."

xxxxx


End file.
